The Winglies of Hellena
by Shadow Wolf 359
Summary: Lloyd survives the fight with Melbu Frahma, but is captured in his weakened state by humans who have turned Hellena into a Wingly slave market. EDITED, please RR!
1. Reawakening

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter One: Reawakening

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

A/N - I've finally done it! I've finally kicked my butt into gear and figured out how to edit this thing! Each of the chapters have been fixed now! YAAAYYY! PLEASE REVIEW!

Lloyd awoke gazing up at the star-filled sky, pain screaming from every part in his body, but more centered around his chest. His crimson eyes were glazed with pain, dried blood staining his black and silver leather vest. From the cold, sticky, wet feeling on his back, head, and legs, he was laying in a puddle of his own blood.

_Am I alive?_ He thought to himself weakly. Experimentally he lifted his right hand and looked at the bloodstained digits, flexing them slowly and stiffly. _I must be... I didn't think the dead would be able to feel pain. But I wonder for how much longer?_

He knew from the amount of blood over his body that he had lost a lot. He felt dizzy and light-headed, no surprise there. Moving his arms around to place his palms against the sticky, blood-caked stone beneath him, he carefully moved into a sitting position, and looked over his body. Dimly he was aware that his body was trembling, and the gaping wound in his chest made his stomach catch in his throat. The wound was supposed to be fatal, but here he was, very much alive_. What in the name of Soa is going on?_

Lloyd slowly climbed to his feet, wobbling unsteadily, and examined his surroundings. He seemed to be in a desert of sorts, but there was rubble everywhere. Chunks of dirt and stone jutted up from the ground, broken plant fragments scattered here and there. He could sense the Dragon Buster, his flaming sword, somewhere to the northeast. Well, it was a start. He would feel much better with his beloved sword back in his hand.

Making his way carefully, his left hand was placed against his chest as the movement started the blood flowing again. He kept a constant eye out on his surroundings, lest he miss something important. It took a while, but he finally neared the location of the Dragon Buster, the energy drawing him like a moth to flame. Stepping around a large stone slab, he stopped dead upon seeing two bodies lying on the ground. One was clearly a woman in bluish black armor and raven black hair, the other a man with short blonde hair dressed in red garb. Rose and Zieg, he guessed... It was hard to tell by the remains, but who else would it be? And there, near Rose's hand, was the intricate hilt of his sword.

He slid his hand into the hilt, the power inside of the Dragon Buster instantly recognizing its former owner. The blade flared to life, emerging from the hilt to extend several feet out in front of him. The mere presence of the weapon comforted him. Looking back down upon the lifeless bodies of Rose and Zieg, he noticed two small orbs glittering beside them: one black, the other red. The Dragoon Spirits.

No longer having the Divine Dragoon Spirit - Dart probably still had it - he picked up the orbs and examined them. Neither of them lit up in his presence, nor did he expect them to. They only lit up when meeting other Dragoon spirits or those they considered worthy. In any case, he might need to draw on their power eventually. With a silent apology to the two on the ground, he slid the Dragoon spirits within his pocket. It was a pity none of them was the Silver-White Dragoon spirit. The healing orb would be of great use right now.

Knowing he needed to get some medical attention soon, Lloyd began making his way to the east, where he sensed the nearest city would be. It would definitely be a long and tiring walk.


	2. Capture

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Two: Capture

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

How long had he been walking? Hours, at the least. The dark sky was beginning to gray, signaling the coming of dawn. He had made his way out of the desert, and was walking through the woods now. He could have sworn he'd passed that rock three times already. Sighing, he continued on, and nearly tripped and lost his footing as he came upon a road. Well, this was definitely an improvement. But where to go? Right or left? Hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, he turned and headed to the right.

Weariness dragged him down with each additional step, hunger and pain gnawing at him relentlessly. His throat was dry and parched. What he wouldn't do for a full water skin right now. He was even beginning to imagine things... The sound of wagon wheels seeming to draw nearer. He sighed and moved off to the side of the road, slumping down against a tree. His legs were drawn up to his chest, his head down between his knees as he closed his eyes.

Those damn wagon wheels were growing louder, along with the added stomping of horse hooves. He'd never get any rest at this rate. The sound of the turning wheels and pounding hooves on the dirt road grew louder, and louder, until it seemed that there would be a wagon almost on top of him. A voice yelled out, and the noise stopped.

Lloyd blinked as he felt a boot nudge into his side. He lifted his head wearily, crimson eyes looking dimly up at the blurred figure above him. He guessed that they were humanoid... But as he squinted up at them, he couldn't be sure.

"This one looks like he's been to Hell and back," one of the figures grunted.

"Do you think he'll live?" the second man asked.

"Dunno. Maybe. Question is, will he be worth it?"

Lloyd drew back slightly as the second figure knelt down next to him, his eyes narrowing. He didn't like the sound of their voices, but if they could help him, he could stand to be poked and prodded a bit. The man took hold of one of Lloyd's long slender arms and whistled lowly. "Hey James, take a look at this. Not a spare ounce of fat on this 'un. If he weren't so beat up, I bet he'd be a pretty strong bastard."

The first man, James, knelt down as well and took the laces that held together the front of Lloyd's vest, untying them and pulling the leather carefully away from his skin to expose the gaping puncture wound in the middle of his chest. He sucked in his breath in a hiss. "Shit, that had to hurt. Wonder what happened to 'im?"

"Who knows?" the second man shrugged. "Tell you one thing, he's a fine-looking specimen. I think he'd be worth the time to get him fixed up."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get him loaded up," James muttered, heading back to the wagon.

_Loaded up...?_ Lloyd thought in confusion. _Where would they be taking me? What are they going to want from me?_  
The second man slipped his arms underneath Lloyd's knees, the other behind his shoulders, and hefted him up with a grunt. This was not an easy task, with Lloyd being as tall as he was. He shifted slightly in the man's arms, attempting to get back down, and the man tightened his grip. "Hold still, damn it! It's hard enough with you being dead weight."

With a sigh, Lloyd held still and tried to make his eyes focus on the man's face. Those crimson eyes couldn't see much. Just a blur, mostly. Keeping his eyes open was giving him a headache, so he closed them again.

He felt himself being laid down on a hard surface, his vest stripped off. Someone was taking a wet cloth and was carefully cleaning away the blood from the wound in the center of his chest. He flinched slightly as the cloth passed over open flesh, and a female voice admonished him to hold still.

Something pierced into his skin, and his eyes snapped open as he tried to pull away. "Hold still!" the feminine voice commanded him again. "I'm trying to sew up the wound, but it's not going to happen if you keep moving around!"

Lloyd did as he was told, trying to get his eyes to focus on the woman. "Who are you?" he asked weakly, his blurred vision tainted with black around the edges. He didn't think he could stay conscious much longer.

The woman glanced back up at him before returning to stitching up his skin. "I'm called Lily," she replied a touch more gently than her previous words.

"Lily..." Lloyd repeated slowly, before he drifted into unconsciousness.

Lily watched as the silver-haired man passed out, then returned to her nursing. The wagon gave a lurch as it started on again, and she gave a silent curse as she caught herself. When she finished patching him up, she called for Nathaniel, the man who had carried Lloyd into the wagon. Nathaniel came in, nodded over her handiwork, and proceeded to take the valuables off of Lloyd. He pulled off the finger-less gloves and the silver bracelets around his wrists, examining the quality and whistling lowly. The bracelets were pure silver. He then took off Lloyd's boots and the intricate belt he wore, again admiring the quality of the items. He fished around in the comatose Wingly's pants and emerged with the two Dragoon Spirits and a small bag of gold, setting them aside. Lastly, he reached around the remove the choker from around Lloyd's neck... then looked in confusion as he could feel no clasp. Indeed, there wasn't any clasp on the necklace. It was as if it was melded on.

Frowning, he left it there for now and stashed away the items along with the sword Lloyd had sheathed at his side. It was fortunate that they did not get the Dragon Buster, which Lloyd could summon at will. James came in next and proceeded to clasp Lloyd's wrists and ankles together with a strange pair of shackles that didn't look like human work. Inspecting his handiwork, he then turned and made his way back to the front of the wagon.

Lily looked back down at Lloyd once James and Nathaniel had finished and shook her head slowly. The way the Wingly male had looked at her, so lost and confused, stayed fresh in her mind. She hated it when they looked at her like that. It made her job all the harder. If only the Wingly knew what would happen to him... Well, he would find out soon enough.


	3. Slavery

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Three: Slavery

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Lloyd opened his eyes slowly and nearly jumped out of a skin when he met a pair of blood red eyes exactly like his own. The owner of the eyes was a Wingly child, maybe twelve years of age. Her silver hair was short-cropped, like his, but whoever had cut it had done a bad job of doing so. She was dressed in nothing but rags that barely covered the essentials. The Wingly girl had jumped back upon seeing him wake up and skittered to the far side of the cell.

_Wait a minute... a prison cell!_ Lloyd sat up quickly to find he was in a small, cramped prison cell. There were many other Winglies of varying ages in the cell as well, some male, some female. Their platinum hair was cut short like the girl's, and their crimson eyes all looked at him cautiously. As he tried to stand up, he found his ankles and wrists were shackled together. His eyes narrowing, he jerked at them, but it was no use. He couldn't break free. Not that way, anyway. He closed his eyes and concentrated on shattering the shackles with his magic, but suddenly screamed in agony as electric currents flowed from the shackles and into his body. His eyes rolled back in his head, and as soon as his concentration broke, the electric currents stopped and he fell to the floor.

"You okay, mister?" a quiet voice chirped at him. Lloyd opened his eyes to see that the Wingly child had returned.

"Where am I...?" Lloyd asked slowly, and then added, "And what just happened?"

"You're in Hellena, mister," the girl replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "And whenever one of us tries to use their magic, they get shocked. You must be pretty powerful, mister, for you to have gotten such a shock. You got your nose all bloodied up and you passed out there for a few minutes."

Lloyd slowly lifted one of his hands to his face, but ended up lifting them both up because of the shackles. His fingers came away from his nose with blood on them. He growled and heaved himself to a sitting position. The movement caused his chest to hurt. "Hellena? How did I get here?"

"You were brought in the wagon, same as us all. They go out lookin' for Winglies in the woods and stuff, either wounded or too young or too old to fight. Usually they use the Traitor to catch other Winglies. They gots these special chains that prevent us from using our magic and getting away. We can't even summon our wings to fly." The girl sighed and tilted her head to look at the wound on his bare chest. "Gosh, mister, that musta hurt." She then moved around behind him to look at his back. "Somethin' stabbed ya right through, didn't they? What happened?"

"Wait a minute, what traitor? And what do the humans want with us?" Lloyd asked in confusion, also carefully avoiding answering the question.

"The Traitor. The Wingly that sided with the humans to help capture the rest of us Winglies and use us for slave labor and other stuff like that," she replied quietly, with an undertone of fury in her voice. It somewhat startled Lloyd to hear such vehemence from a child, but he agreed. How could a Wingly betray his own race this way? Had he no pride?

"So I'm supposed to be a slave now? I hope they're kidding. They haven't the slightest idea what they're getting into," Lloyd growled furiously. Suddenly the little Wingly girl grabbed onto his arm.

"No! You mustn't fight them! They'll whip you and shock you and hurt you so bad! They'll torture you until you're all broken and have no will left! I seen it happen!" she cried.

"I am not broken so easily," Lloyd sneered and pulled himself away from her, climbing to his feet. He walked to the front of the cell and noticed outside there were several other cells all packed with Winglies with the same shackles he had on now. All of their clothes were ratty, and many had whip scars on their backs and chests. All of their hair was short-cropped, both male and female. There wasn't a single human in sight. He had expected guards, at least. Farther down the line he noticed a cell with a few Winglies whose hair hadn't been cut. They also had slightly nicer clothes than the rest, but they still looked as miserable as the rest. "What's with those down in that cell over there?" he asked over his shoulder to the Wingly girl.

A male spoke up instead, a heavily scarred, well-built man with eyes the color of garnets. "Those are the slaves used for other purposes than labor."

"Other purposes?" Lloyd growled, hoping it wasn't for what he suspected it was.

The male simply nodded. "They are used to pleasure the humans as they see fit. Winglies have become a private market. There is quite a lot of money on each of our heads. Some humans will buy us for household slaves, some for pleasure slaves, but most come to have their very own Wingly that they can beat. Some even come to take Winglies and release them in the forest to hunt them down and hang their heads like trophies on their walls."

Lloyd's eyes narrowed dangerously as he hissed, "Why must they still hold a grudge on us? It was ten thousand years ago that the Dragon Campaign ended and humans were free from slavery. I remember. I was there."

A gasp arose from every Wingly that heard what he said, and the scarred male stood up. "You are one of the Ancients?" he whispered in awe. "I didn't think any of them were left alive..."

"Yes, I am one of your so-called Ancients. I was twelve years old at the time the Dragon Campaign ended."

The garnet-eyed Wingly bowed his head. "I am Nakai. What be your name, old one?"

Lloyd's blood-red eyes flashed in irritation. He didn't look old, that was for sure. He looked in his mid-twenties, possibly early thirties. Thanks to Wingly magic, he had not aged. "My name is Lloyd."

The effect was instantaneous. Almost every Wingly in the other cells lunged at the bars screaming for his blood, while the ones in his own cell all stood up and either flattened themselves against the walls or advanced towards him threateningly. Lloyd himself got into the best fighting stance he could manage while being shackled. "You..." Nakai growled, being one of the ones that stepped forward. "Do you realize it's all your fault we are in here! Because of you, people know that Winglies exist again! Because you exposed yourself, the humans know, and even ten thousand years wasn't enough to distance their hate. Because of you, we are captured and thrown in here to be at their mercy! And then trying to destroy the world by bringing forth the God of Destruction, you could have killed every last being on this planet!"

"Do you think it was _intentional_?" Lloyd sneered coldly. "I never meant to show myself to the humans. I knew that they wouldn't understand what I was trying to do. And I didn't know that the birth of the God of Destruction would be the end of the world. I was told that the birth of the God of Destruction would create a Utopia where we could live amongst humans and not have to worry about prejudice and hate! I. Was. Misled," Lloyd spat out. "Melbu Frahma fooled me into doing his bidding, and that's why I tried to kill him for it when I found out." He put a hand to the wound on his chest. "And I almost died for trying to make up for my wrongs. Dart and the others would not have succeeded in defeating Frahma had they not had the help of the Divine Dragoon spirit and the Dragon Buster, both of which I had in my possession. To make up for the things I had done, I gave them those items, and helped in my own way for them to succeed. You talk about a traitor to the Winglies, some fool who sided with the humans to help round up our kind. He is responsible for your being here, not I!"

"So you were nothing but a pawn..." Nakai whispered.

"HEY! What the Hell is going on down here!" a voice yelled out. Immediately all the Winglies backed away from the bars of the cage, except for Lloyd, who turned to look out the cell. He watched as a heavyset guard came over, a scowl on his face. When he saw Lloyd staying still, he walked up to him and snorted. "Ah, the new one awakens. What have you to say, Wingly scum?"

Lloyd looked the man up and down in disdain before giving the man a cold glare and said lowly, "You're a disgusting hunk of lard who makes cattle smell like cherry blossoms when faced with your body odor. For Soa's sake, take a good, long bath, and use soap. You'll kill every last one of us in here if you don't."

The guard's face turned an ugly shade of purple and he roared, "You'll pay for that!" He motioned to another guard who came running down the hall, and they took out the keys and started unlocking the cell. The moment they opened it, Lloyd lunged for the exit, headbutting the new guard in the stomach and toppling him over while he stumbled to regain his footing and dashed on. He was brought up short by a large hand grabbing his ankle and Lloyd fell flat on his face with a grunt as the pain flared in his chest and the breath was knocked out of him.

Another hand grabbed his hair while he was winded and pulled his head back. Lloyd looked up to see the enraged brown eyes of the heavyset guard and was suddenly punched in the face, making his head snap to the side. The guard dropped Lloyd and started kicking him in the stomach as he curled up to try and deflect the blows. The second guard came over with a whip. "Grab him and hold him up," the first guard snarled, taking the whip. The other guard did as he was told and jerked Lloyd up, standing on his bare feet with his right boot and keeping his arms pinned. The first guard drew back the whip and lashed it across Lloyd's bare back, making him hiss in a pained breath. Again the whip fell, and another long red line opened up on Lloyd's pale back. Again, and again, and each new gaping wound brought on even more pain, until Lloyd's eyes squeezed shut and he started whimpering lowly, disgusted by the noises coming out of his throat.

The stitches in his back split open and soon his back was a raw and bloody mess, the crimson liquid flowing down his pale skin in scarlet rivulets. The whimpers grew to groans, and soon Lloyd was screaming, short, and harsh as they tore from his throat. His legs started to give way but the first guard held him up, and the thrashing continued. Finally, the enraged guard's arm grew tired, and he motioned for Lloyd to be thrown back in the cell where the other Winglies huddled in fear.

The beaten Wingly was thrown on his face back in the cell, and the door creaked and slammed shut. Lloyd curled up slowly, completely silent now as he kept his eyes tightly closed and bit back the pathetic little hurt noises his voice wanted to make. The sound of the guards' boots faded as they walked away, and distantly, another door slammed closed. The young Wingly girl sat down next to him and whispered, "I told ya not to defy 'em. Now your back's gonna get all covered with scars that you can never get ridded of. I bet that hurt a lot, though. They never beat me that bad, but then again, I'm just a kid and I don't try to make 'em mad." Her tiny hands lightly stroked Lloyd's hair. She suddenly giggled, "But you were right though. That stinky man does need a bath. He makes my stomach go all funny whenever he comes near me."

Lloyd listened to the girl's distant voice and felt her fingers stroking through his silken platinum hair. Though his pride resented it, he found comfort in her voice and her touch. She was so pure, so innocent. Children were like that. But here she was, being thrown into this disgusting place... It only hardened his resolve to not only get out of here, but to free every last Wingly in this place, and kill the Traitor that caused all this. If it was the last thing he did, he would free his people.


	4. Stitches

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Four: Stitches

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, or the original plot. They are copyright to the makers of The Legend of Dragoon.

Lily walked down the hall where the cells were, and looked at all the Winglies watching her. Neither hate nor love was on their faces. She was neutral to them, which was better than what any of the others were. She was the one that came to heal their wounds after they were beaten, the one that brought their food and their water. She stopped in front of the far cell and looked down at the Wingly lying on the floor on his face while a little girl petted his hair like you'd pet a dog. She slowly shook her head at the bloody mess that his back was. From what she could see of his face, he had a huge welt forming on the side of it. His lip was split open and his nose was bleeding as well. The crimson eyes were closed, and there was a tension at the graceful upturn at the corners of his eyes. He must have been hurting badly, but he wasn't making a sound.

The girl looked up at Lily and backed up to go sit with the others as she slipped in. The guards behind her waited outside to make sure none of the Winglies tried to make a break for it. But it didn't matter if they tried. Hellena was packed with guards roaming everywhere. Lily set down her bag as she kneeled down next to Lloyd, taking out a bottle of disinfectant and pouring it over his wounds. A sharp hiss was heard from the Wingly and he jerked away with an almost feral growl, eyes snapping open to glare at her. The guards tensed, but they had no need to interfere. Recognition dawned in the crimson orbs, and he asked quietly, "...Lily, was it?" Lily nodded her head and motioned for him to lay back down where he was. He stayed put, though, and simply looked at her. "What did you put on my back that makes it burn like acid?"

"It's a disinfectant. It's supposed to sting," Lily replied, waiting for him to come back over.

He finally did, slowly returning to his position on his stomach, folding his arms and resting his chin on them as he looked up at her. "I thought there was supposed to be disinfectant that wasn't painful," he commented.

"There is," Lily replied dryly, "But that's not what I'm supplied with. They insist that I use this kind because of the fact that it hurts." She took out a bowl and a bottle of warm water, pouring it into the bowl and soaking a cloth as she began tenderly cleaning the blood from his back.

Lloyd snorted. "Oh yes, I should have figured that." He winced only slightly while she cleaned up the gaping mouths of the whip wounds on his back, gritting his teeth against the pain. He closed his eyes until she had finished, and when he heard her taking out something else from her bag, he opened his eyes and rolled them upward to see her taking out a needle and surgical thread. He gave a slight sigh. "I doubt they have painkillers either?"

Lily brought the thread up to the needle and slipped it in with expert practice, and smirked down at him. "What, a big strong man such as yourself can't take the pain?"

"It gets annoying," Lloyd replied shortly.

"I'm teasing you," Lily said with a smile. "Now hold still. I'm going to start sewing these up." As she worked at sewing up the gaping wounds in his back, she thought to herself, _I wonder what happened to him out there in the woods? What could have impaled him like that? It wasn't a weapon, there weren't any signs that it was a sword or a spear. It's none of my business asking, but maybe I could anyway. Come to think of it, I don't know his name either. But you're not supposed to get to know the slaves. You get too attached to them and when they are sold or they die, you feel more pain than is necessary. _"How did you get that chest wound?" she asked eventually. "That wasn't done by any weapon that I know of."

The Wingly was silent. He was awake, staring at the far wall, but he didn't respond to her question. She frowned slightly. "Don't want to talk about it?"

"Not with a human," was the reply.

"Ah... I see." She finished stitching up the gaping wounds on his back and stood up. "In the future, Wingly, try not to give the guards here any reason to whip you like that again. My supply of surgical thread is not endless and I don't find any enjoyment piecing your flesh together until you look like a rag doll."

"Yes, ma'am," Lloyd replied with an edge of sarcasm in his voice. Lily rolled her eyes and smirked before gathering up her supplies and exiting the cell. The little girl moved back over to Lloyd and sat down in front of him again. _She certainly is an affectionate little thing_, Lloyd thought to himself as she resumed her stroking of his hair. He looked up at her and asked, "What's your name?"

The little girl smiled and chirped happily, "My name's Neesha!"

"Well, Neesha, despite how nice it is to have you stroking my hair, it's distracting while I try to sleep." He smiled at her gently. "Could you please let me get some rest?"

The girl frowned, then smiled again. "Guess you do need your sleep to get your back all healed up, huh? Okay I'll go talk to someone else. Sleep well, Mr. Lloyd." She hopped up and walked back over to the others while Lloyd closed his eyes and rested his cheek against his folded arms. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his back and his head, he soon drifted off to sleep. Hey, it was one way to pass the time.


	5. Work Plans

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Five: Work Plans

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

"We won't be making any money at the rate this is going. The slaves sit around all day eating and sleeping. We spend money to keep them fed but we just don't have enough buyers that can afford the high prices of the Winglies." A tall man spoke this while he paced in front of the people gathered around the table. He was very round, but also very muscular, with a thick black beard and beady gray eyes. Amongst the occupants of the table were Lily, the two men that picked Lloyd up, several other men and women, and a sole Wingly that didn't sit, but leaned back against the wall, arms folded over his chest. The Traitor, as he was known amongst the slaves, wore long black robes that were belted around his middle, intricate silver markings spiraling down the material. His eyes were a startling shade of green - a rare color amongst Winglies - and his platinum hair was tied back in a pony tail with thin bangs hanging down past his chin.

"Isn't there supposed to be a mine beneath Hellena?" the sole Wingly asked while regarding the others. His sea green eyes were met with nervous glances, except for the standing man, who nodded to him.

"Yes... Your point?" he asked rather testily.

"What did the mine supposedly have in it?" the Wingly asked in return. The large man was silent as he shifted his gaze to Nathaniel, who cleared his throat and stood up.

"Gold, sir. Not in very large amounts, though. That's why all work on the mine was halted. It took too much work to get to the little gold that was there."

"Well, there's your solution," the Wingly replied smoothly. "Put the slaves to work in the mines. Work them hard and you will soon be raking in gold. Take perhaps a day off every week to wash up the slaves and rest them while the buyers come in to check them out. Slaves that have been badly beaten or are sick can work on cleaning out the cells while the others work in the mines."

The large man nodded in approval while Nathaniel sat back down. "That's a good idea, Dominic. How many hours a day do you propose the slaves will work in the mines?"

The Wingly shrugged. "Fifteen hours a day, perhaps, with two water breaks in between, once every five hours. Food and water can be served after the work is done and they can sleep until itís time to work again."

The man nodded again. "Good, good. We'll put that plan into work, but now we must sort out which of the slaves will do what." With that, the men set to work sorting out where each of the slaves would work, while Lily sat back and listened. She knew life was about to become much more difficult for the Winglies of Hellena.


	6. Unplesant Circumstances

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Six: Unpleasant Circumstances

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

"All right, Wingly scum, get up! No more laying around for you, you're being put to work!"

_Ah... What a pleasant wake-up call... _Lloyd thought sarcastically as he opened his eyes and glared up at the guards that walked down the aisle, slamming their fists against the cell bars. _Yes... Nothing like a nice full cup of insults from pigs to get your morning going. _One by one, the cells were opened, and the slaves hauled out. Observing the work, hands clasped behind his back, was a Wingly who could only be the Traitor that the other slaves spoke of. He strolled down the hallway, occasionally snapping orders to the human guards, who grudgingly did what they were told while the slaves glared at him hatefully.

Lloyd frowned, looking over the Wingly and taking in his strange green eyes. _His eyes are like Melbu Frahma's..._ Lloyd thought to himself. Dominic looked around, ignoring the fiery gazes of his fellow Winglies, suddenly noticing the gaze of the one lying on his stomach on the floor. He stopped and looked over the male curiously. He was tall and well-built, with layered short-cropped hair and elegantly slanted crimson eyes set within a face with high cheekbones that would be beautiful had he not had the large purple welt that covered half of his face. His back was a mass of stitches. There was barely enough skin to cover his back. Despite the obvious pain he must be in, he made no pained movements or sounds. He just watched Dominic with that observing gaze, looking him over in turn.

The guards walked over and opened the door to Lloyd's cell, but to Lloyd's confusion they went around him and took out all of the others out, leaving him there. The guards departed and went to the other cells as the Winglies were led away, while the Traitor stood looking down at him interestedly. His curiosity getting the best to him, he slowly heaved himself into a sitting position, flinching only slightly at the pain in his back as he lifted his head to watch the Wingly that looked down at him. "Where are they taking the others?" Lloyd asked slowly.

"The other slaves are being put to work in the mines beneath Hellena," the Traitor explained, hands still clasped behind his back comfortably. By now, all the guards were filing out, and there wasn't a Wingly left in any of the other cells.

"And why was I not taken down with them?" Lloyd asked, his head tilting slightly to the side.

"You would be of no use in the mines," Dominic explained smoothly. "You are too hurt to do such hard labor, so instead you get the easier job."

"And what job would that be?" Lloyd asked warily, eyes narrowing.

Dominic smirked. "You get to clean out the cells." Lloyd looked around his own cell and noticed too clearly the urine, blood, and defecation that littered the floor, most of the body wastes in one corner and out of the way. There was a small drain in that corner, which had already drained most of the urine. There must have been a hundred cells in Hellena. Were all of them like this?

He shifted his gaze back to Dominic, a sneer curling his lip. "You must be joking."

"Think of how happy the other slaves will be," Dominic chuckled. "To have a nice, clean cell. It would be better for you too. You will take a shovel first to the feces and get it all in a wheelbarrow, then take a scrub brush and a bucket of soapy water and scrub out everything else. Then you will take straw and put it on the cell floor, and move onto the next." He grinned at the revolted look on the male's face. "You can take your time. You have fifteen hours to do so. Lucky for you we only have about thirty of the cells in use right now."

"I seriously hope you're joking," Lloyd growled. Right now he was seriously regretting insulting the guard and getting whipped this badly. The Wingly grinned as a wheelbarrow with a shovel, a scrub brush, and a bucket of warm, soapy water was brought up by another guard.

"We'll take care of the straw later. Just remember, boy. If you don't do as you're told, you'll only be tortured. Save yourself the pain and humiliation and just do it." Dominic laughed and walked off while the guard watched Lloyd expectantly.

Lloyd looked at the guard. "Please tell me you don't seriously expect me to do this." The guard simply raised his eyebrows and smirked. Lloyd's eyes closed and he muttered, "This is going to be a very long day."


	7. Getting Clean

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Seven: Getting Clean

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Heaving the last of the straw into the pen and spreading it around on the floor, he sighed and wiped his arm across his forehead. Finally he was finished with the disgusting work. His back hurt like all the Hells. Not only had the work stretched some of the skin and caused it to bleed again, but sweat mingled with the blood, salty water in the wounds.

He heard a noise behind him and turned to see the Traitor standing outside the cell, watching him. Lloyd spread his arms and growled, "Satisfied?" He was in quite the irritable mood. He was filthy, he hurt, he smelled like shit - literally - and he was quite fed up with being in this place.

Dominic smiled and nodded. "You have done well. What's your name, boy?"

"Lloyd," he stated, waiting to see the Traitor's reaction.

Dominic's eyes widened, his head tilting to the side. "Are you the one that was supposed to have died fighting Melbu Frahma? You were found on the side of the road, impaled by something. From what the humans said, the Lloyd that fought against Melbu Frahma was killed when he was impaled by one of the God's tentacles."

"I'm not that easy to kill," Lloyd replied, stepping out of the last clean cell. The emerald-eyed Wingly smirked and bowed to Lloyd - a move that surprised him. He was feeling like shit, he was covered in shit, and yet this Traitor was bowing to him in respect.

Dominic caught the uplifted eyebrow and smirked. "It is an honor to meet you, but that does not change things between us. You are still the slave, I the slaver. Now come, I'm sure you want to get washed up." He turned and began walking down the hallway. _The fool is confident enough of his status to turn his back on me. Interesting._ Lloyd decided not to take the opportunity to attack him, though. He was feeling too miserable to set himself up for more hurt. And besides, he was still shackled, putting him at a severe disadvantage.

He followed the Wingly after a few moments, aching to get clean. Soon they were out of the cells, and Lloyd waited patiently as they got into the elevator and were drawn up. He knew exactly where they were going. He had been in Hellena before and knew it from top to bottom. Of course, he hadn't been a slave or a prisoner at the time. Back then he was still simply known as the Man in Black, because of his black clothing that covered his entire body except for the bottom half of his face. He followed Dominic to the bathing chambers, and watched as two men filed out, leaving him and the Traitor alone.

"I never got your name," Lloyd asked after a few moments of silence.

"I don't have to tell you my name," the Wingly replied, "But I will indulge you. My name is Dominic."

Lloyd nodded and stood patiently, beginning to grow irritated when Dominic did not leave. Did he expect him to strip down and bathe while he watched? Apparently so. Dominic looked at Lloyd expectantly, hands folded behind his back, one boot tapping on the floor. "What are you waiting for, Lloyd?"

"I'm waiting for you to get out so I can have some privacy," Lloyd replied.

"And leave a slave alone, especially one as special as you? I think not." He shrugged and gestured towards the pool with a hand. "You may as well grit your teeth and just do it. Unless you'd like to remain smelling like that. Slaves don't have privacy, Lloyd. That's one thing you're going to have to learn while you're here. And they don't have rights, either. The only reason you're getting a bath now is because I'm allowing it. I suggest you take advantage of this kind offer."

_This really, really isn't my day... _Lloyd growled mentally. "Fine, I'll bathe in my pants." He began to walk over to the pool and was halted by Dominic's hand on his arm. Turning his head, he glared at Dominic, and said in a low and dangerous tone of voice, "Is there a problem?" _Shit... That would hold so much more impact if I wasn't shackled and looking like some kind of pathetic rag doll. _

"Yes, Lloyd," Dominic replied flatly. "Have I not made myself clear? Slaves don't have privacy. If I want you to strip down you'd better damn well do it." His fingers slid slowly up Lloyd's arm and to his shoulders, the long digits lightly beginning to knead into the knotted and stiff muscles.

Lloyd's crimson eyes went cold and emotionless as he glared at Dominic. _Splendid... Not only is he a traitor to his entire race, but he's homosexual. And I don't think he's going to accept that I don't lean in that direction. How in all the Hells am I going to get out of this one?_

"I don't like the way you look at me," Dominic growled lowly. "You'd better wipe that look off of your face or I'll beat it off."

"Fuck you," Lloyd snarled in contempt. Dominic's hand withdrew from his shoulders and suddenly punched him viciously in the back. Lloyd fell painfully to the floor on his face with a gasp, closing his eyes tightly and grimacing at the explosion of pain in his back. A couple of the stitches split open and blood began to ooze again. He bit down on his tongue upon his impact with the floor, and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

Dominic leaned down and grabbed the back of Lloyd's neck, pulling him back up. The crimson-eyed Wingly staggered to his feet, coughing, a trickle of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Emerald met ruby as the two males glared at each other, and Dominic released Lloyd's neck to grab hold of his shoulders and knee him sharply in the stomach. Grunting, Lloyd doubled over in pain and closed his eyes tightly, but Dominic hefted him back up to glare at him again. "The longer you have that look in your eyes, Lloyd, the longer I'll continue to hurt you. Get that contemptuous look off of your face."

Lloyd remained with his head lowered for a few moments, recovering his breath while his body throbbed with pain. He then lifted his head up slowly to look at Dominic, suddenly jerking his head forward to spit right in the startled traitor's face. With a look of complete outrage, Dominic wiped the blood-stained phlegm out of his eye and sent out a telekinetic blast that sent Lloyd flying back into the wall. A scream tore from Lloyd's throat as he impacted with the wall and slid down, leaving behind a long bloody trail. He sank to his knees and slumped down, groaning in pain. More of the stitches had split on his poor, abused back, and he was going to be bruised as well.

Dominic strode forward and grabbed Lloyd by the hair, jerking him up and kneeing him sharply in the groin. Lloyd's startling blood-colored eyes flew open and he dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks, clutching himself in a feeble effort to shield his manhood from any more abuse. His back arched and he retched, throwing up on the floor. Slowly, he curled up into a ball beside the small pile of vomit, trembling and sweating, eyes tightly closed.

Dominic frowned down at Lloyd. He looked so pathetic now, bleeding and beaten, curled up in a fetal position beside a puddle of his own vomit. It almost pained him to have to do that to the male, but in his mind, if Lloyd didn't learn right now not to bitch to his superiors, he'd wind up dead very soon. It was a long time Lloyd huddled there in complete silence, waiting for the pain to dwindle to a point where it would be bearable. Slowly, slowly he began to uncurl a little and just lay on his side. Dominic continued to stand above him with his arms folded over his chest. "Are you going to listen to me now?" he asked after he was sure Lloyd was recovering. Lloyd was silent, and Dominic was growing impatient again. "Answer me, Lloyd."

The touch of irritation in his voice was all Lloyd needed to spur him to reply. He didn't want to be hurt again. Slowly, he nodded his head. This seemed to satisfy Dominic. The emerald-eyed Wingly knelt down beside Lloyd and slipped his arms around the beaten male, gently picking him up and ignoring the small hiss of pain Lloyd let slip. He carried Lloyd over to the side of the pool and sat down with him in his lap. He moved one hand over to the rim of Lloyd's pants and untied the small leather cord at the top. Gently he slipped Lloyd's pants off, despite the male's halfhearted growl. He slipped into the pool with Lloyd, holding him up with one arm while the other arm began to splash water over his back to wash away the blood. Lloyd hated this feeling of helplessness, but he was simply hurting too much to put up any resistance.

He slumped against Dominic's chest, feeling the water trickling over the opened wounds in his back, washing away the blood. His cheek rested against the traitor's chest, and as much as he loathed him, he couldn't bring himself to pull away. He didn't want to be hurt again. _I'm such a coward... _Lloyd berated himself internally. _If Dart and the others could see me now... Oh how they'd laugh. The once-mighty Lloyd who stood up and fought the God of Destruction without fear now cowers helplessly, a slave, beaten and bruised by some homosexual Wingly probably not a fraction of my age. Which brings up a thought... Who ever made up the idea that gay men were supposed to be gentle!_ The thought was enough to bring out a soft 'hmph' of amusement.

Dominic looked down at Lloyd in curiosity. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing..." Lloyd replied quietly. He glanced up and saw the frown on Dominic's face, deciding to change his answer. "I was just thinking about something I'd heard before - that gay men were more gentle than straight men."

Dominic blinked in surprise. "I'm not gay, Lloyd." He smirked slightly and took up a cloth, soaping it up and resuming cleaning the injured Wingly. "I'm bisexual."

"Well I guess that makes sense..." Lloyd mutered, causing Dominic to laugh quietly.

"And you are straight, I take it?" Dominic inquired, crouching slightly to rub down Lloyd's legs beneath the water. A curt nod was Lloyd's reply. "I see. Any special woman in your life?" This question was met with silence, and Dominic lifted his head to look up at Lloyd. "What was the name of that Sacred Sister that you saved twice? The daughter of the Queen."

"Wink..." Lloyd replied while staring off at the far wall.

"Ah yes, I remember now. Pretty little thing. Hair the color of ripe wheat, eyes bluer than the deepest ocean. That's what they say anyway. I've never seen her personally. Any special feelings for her? You did save her twice for no reason, did you not?"

"I just happened to be in the vicinity," Lloyd replied.

Dominic chuckled, not seeming to believe him. "Lift your leg up," Dominic ordered, and Lloyd sighed slightly, doing as he was told. Dominic proceeded to scrub down his lower leg and foot. Lloyd's combined weakness and awkward position forced him to place one hand on Dominic's shoulder for balance, but he didn't seem to mind. "Didn't she save your life too at one point?" he asked after a while, moving onto Lloyd's other leg and scrubbing away the filth. A simple nod was his answer. "How did that come around?"

"I had been battling with Dart, Rose, and Albert. They defeated me, and Dart moved in for the finishing blow. I wouldn't have been able to move out of the way in time. Wink appeared upon the battle scene and rushed forward, taking the blow for me across her back." Lloyd lifted his gaze to the ceiling, the blood-red eyes glazed as he re-lived the memory in his head.

"So apparently she feels something for you in return," Dominic commented, straightening up. Lloyd removed his hand from Dominic's shoulder as he put his other foot back down.

"An infatuation with an exotic-looking man that saved her life, no more. She's probably forgotten all about me."

"I doubt that," Dominic replied, stepping back slightly to begin scrubbing down Lloyd's torso, taking great care around the stitches that held his chest wound together. "Infatuation stretches only as far as physical attraction. She wouldn't have put her life at risk to save someone if it were infatuation. I do believe she loved you, or considered you a friend at the very least."

"Or was simply paying me back out of courtesy for the times I've saved her," Lloyd muttered.

Dominic sighed. "Why will you deny any possibility of anyone coming to care for you, Lloyd? It is possible, despite the things you've done and the people you've killed, for someone to care for you. You were being misled, after all. Everyone makes mistakes, but that doesn't make you a terrible person. People make mistakes in order to learn from them. You've learned from yours, have you not?"

"I have," Lloyd replied rather stiffly.

"Then that is all you need to worry about. Learn from your mistakes and avoid doing them again in the future. And remember - Wink is proof that you are capable of caring for others, and others are capable of caring for you. It doesn't matter how little you knew of each other. You saved her life, she saved yours. These acts of kindness prove my point. You are not heartless."

"Why are you saying this to me? It's not as if I'll ever get out of here and be able to start a life with Wink." At Dominic's questioning gaze, he continued. "I have already accepted this place to be my grave. I have too much pride to keep accepting orders from anyone. Some day you or some other slaver will get tired of having me around and dispose of me, or I simply rebel too many times and get hurt enough that I won't recover. It's only a matter of time."

Dominic had no reply to this as he finished washing away the dirt and grime from Lloyd's pale skin. Lily came into the room as Dominic was drying off the male, the towel stained red with blood. She shook her head and blushed slightly at the unclothed state of the male, but walked over and told him to lie down so she could patch up his wounds again. By now Lloyd was getting used to this, which was a sad thing, really. He lay down on his stomach and buried his face in his arms while she pulled out all the broken stitches and started her work over again.

"What did I tell you about pissing off the others?" she chided him gently. "I've sewn up your back so many times I'm getting cramps in my hand." Lloyd was strangely quiet while she talked. Usually he had some comment or other to make. Dominic meanwhile stood back and watched, equally silent, his head lightly tilted to the side. Finally he ordered Lily to take Lloyd back to his cell after she was finished, and turned to stride out of the room. As soon as the emerald-eyed Wingly had departed, she asked quietly, "He didn't rape you, did he?"

Lloyd shook his head slightly in response. She sighed softly in relief and helped Lloyd roll over carefully on his back so she could check out the rest of his injuries. He had bitten his tongue, but that wasn't a big deal. Looking down and noticing the swelling in his lower area, she winced and said, "He kicked you, didn't he?" A low growl was Lloyd's reply. The message was clear: _Stop looking at me_. Lily smirked softly with amusement and slipped her arm carefully around Lloyd, helping him to stand up. Despite the bruising and the beating, she had to admit he was a very handsome creature.

He walked over slowly to his pants and slipped them back on, leaning against the wall for balance. Finally, he was ready to head back to his cell. He followed Lily obediently out of the washing chamber and back to his cell. Upon his return he had noticed the return of the other Winglies. They were all covered with sweat and worn out. Some were assisting the others by massaging the stiff, sore muscles in their backs and shoulders while some simply lay flat in the straw, sound asleep. Those who were awake turned to watch him as he was led down the halls. His pen mates looked up as she opened the door and let Lloyd walk in. He immediately huddled into the corner and curled up to try to sleep.

Her eyes grew pained as she watched him. The defiant spark in his beautiful crimson eyes had been diminished, yet thankfully it had not vanished altogether. She didn't want to see the proud Wingly broken. She didn't want to see any of them broken. The little Wingly girl was crying because her muscles hurt so badly. There were occasional groans of pain everywhere. It made her heart ache for them. Sometimes Lily wondered why she even stayed here doing this, but the wonder was always quickly dispersed. If it was within her power to ease the suffering of the Winglies here, she would do so. With one last look at the handsome Wingly in the corner of the cell, she turned and closed the cell, walking back down the hall.


	8. Sensory Deprivation

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Eight: Sensory Deprivation

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Six months passed, but there was no improvement in Lloyd's state. He was working in the mines now. The wounds on his back were finally allowed to heal, leaving long white scars crossing over his flesh. Some were old, some were new, but he wasn't the only slave by far to have such marks on his back and torso. His chest wound healed to form a diamond-shaped scar in the middle of his chest. He was horrendously thin, yet toned from the hard work in the mines. His hair had grown out some three inches or so, and his bangs were always falling over his crimson eyes.

He had been correct in what he'd said to Dominic that day in the baths - His pride was simply too great for him to completely submit. And it was because of his pride that led to his constant abuse. Yet he had learned how to cope with the pain. While he was beaten he would draw into himself and isolate his mind from his body, giving him a glazed and distant look. He would no longer feel what was happening to his body, but would watch as if from a distance, waiting for it to end. The more he was beaten, the longer he stayed detached from his body. The way he figured it, it was only a matter of time before he slipped into that sanctuary within him permanently.

Lily learned from Dominic Lloyd's name. His past she had already heard about, as had everyone. She found herself worrying for the Wingly constantly, for there were times when she was tending to his wounds that his eyes would be hollow and blank, lifeless and emotionless, as if his mind were gone. Yet he was not alone in this. Several of the more defiant Winglies had descended into madness. They were kept in separate cells where they could not cause harm to the other slaves. Most of those driven by madness stopped eating and died in the end. She didn't want this to happen to Lloyd.

Lloyd had seen many Winglies come and go. Poor little Neesha had been bought by some pedophile. He didn't know if she was alive or dead. Nakai had taken one too many lashes across the back and attacked the slaver that was whipping him. He was killed in the struggle. Lloyd didn't bother to acquaint himself with any of the other Winglies, for he knew it was only a matter of time before they were taken away or killed, and it would cause more pain than it was worth. The closest person he had to a friend was Lily, but even they were somewhat distant with each other. Lily was reluctant to get to know him because she felt she was too close to him already. Lloyd simply distrusted her because she was a human, and on the opposite side of the bars - one of the enemy.

Prejudice is another quality that emerged within him during his time in the pens. He had never hated humans more than he did now. His old dreams of creating a utopia were gone. Now he only dreamed of freedom, of release from this Hell, and of the deaths of the humans and the Traitor that caused all of this.

The pick axe swung down and slammed into the rock with a sharp cracking sound. Lloyd drew back and hefted up the axe, swinging it down again to the rock wall. More chunks of dirt and rock broke away and fell. As he worked, some Wingly female shoveled the chunks out from beneath him and dumped them into a large cart. Every time the cart was filled, another Wingly would come over and haul it off. It was just the same thing over and over again. The mines weren't very productive. For the amount of labor going into them, they produced very little gold. Yet it was enough to satisfy the Boss. He and the others had gotten quite a lot of money out of it. An agonized scream cut through the air, yet Lloyd didn't even stop. Few did. It was common to hear a slave being hit or whipped or kicked when they slacked off or became too weak.

The scream sounded again, followed by crying - a child's crying. He glanced over slightly to see a slaver beating a young Wingly girl, who was flat out on the ground, too weak to go on. Frustrated, the slaver hefted her up and pinned her against the wall, tearing her ragged clothes from her small lithe body. A few more Winglies, Lloyd included, stopped to stare in horror as the guard proceeded to rape the poor tired child as she wailed for her mother. Slowly, Lloyd's fists clenched around the handle of his pick axe. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly made up his mind. He had had enough. No more would he stand by and watch little children be raped by the uncaring guards.

He lunged forward and brought up his pick axe, swinging it down to bring it crashing down through the guard's head. The guard dropped dead where he stood and the girl fell to the floor, shrieking in horror and pain as the guard's head spilled blood and chunks of brain out over the ground, frozen with an expression of surprise on what was left of his face. None of the other Winglies were working now. Every one of them stared, aghast, as Lloyd stood with his bloody pickaxe over the body.

He let the axe drop to the ground and bent down to pick up the girl's clothes. He walked over to her and slid them back on over her little body while she sobbed. Blood ran down between the poor girl's legs, and her face and torso was bruised up. He gently wiped the tears from her face as she fell into his arms and cried into his shoulder, whimpering brokenly. He held the little girl close, stroking her hair gently, whispering soothing words to her in the tongue of the Ancient Winglies. Though she understood little of it, it comforted her, and she curled up in Lloyd's arms.

The sound of rushed footsteps drew near. Lloyd might have run, but it wouldn't have made any difference. They'd offer a reward to the other Winglies who would point out the one who killed the guard, and the first rule for the Winglies of Hellena was to look out for yourself first. Lloyd would have been uncovered in no time. The Boss rushed up, followed by Dominic and Lily. All three of them gasped at the bloody body on the ground, and then to the scarred Wingly holding the sniffling girl in his arms. Lloyd's gaze lifted to the three of them defiantly. The challenge was clear: Fight me if you wish, for I will fight back. I've had enough.

Lloyd set down the little girl and picked up the bloody axe, standing slowly to face the three of them. It was Dominic who stepped forward first. "Lloyd, put the axe down," he said in that low voice used when talking to someone not in their right mind. Lloyd simply looked at him, his eyes narrowed. Hate was in his gaze; pure and absolute hate for this Wingly that caused all of this to happen. Dominic pursed his lips and pulled out a small control pad, pointing it at Lloyd and pressing a button. The shackles on his wrists and ankles activated, sending an electric shock through Lloyd's body. His back arched, his head was thrown back, teeth clenched tightly as the electricity coursed through him. Several moments later it stopped, and Lloyd slumped slightly where he stood, gasping for breath.

"Put it down, Lloyd," Dominic growled. "Don't make me do that again."

Maybe he lost his mind. Maybe he had had enough. Or maybe he simply wanted to die. Whatever the case was, Lloyd hefted up the axe and rushed at Dominic, the axe held high to swing it down upon him. Dominic put away the control as he leapt back, stumbling to get away from Lloyd as he ran toward him, swinging the axe down upon him. The emerald- eyed Wingly's hands shot up to grab at the axe and wrench it out of Lloyd's grasp, jabbing the handle into his stomach. The impact knocked Lloyd onto his back end, but he was up in a flash and diving at Dominic's legs, tackling him to the ground.

Before the startled Traitor could react, he was straddling him and slamming his fists down with all his might upon Dominic's face. Again and again, his bunched up fists fell.. The Traitor brought his hands up finally after dropping the axe to grab onto Lloyd's throat, pressing his thumbs into his windpipe. Lloyd squirmed, choking, and tried to free himself from the other Wingly's hands, bringing up his own to pull at the wrists around his throat. Dominic, getting the upper hand, rolled over until he had Lloyd pinned to the ground. Letting go of his throat, he grabbed onto Lloyd's wrists with one hand, pinning them up over his head while his other hand produced a small blade. He lowered it to bring it down upon Lloyd's face, when a small body suddenly impacted with him, knocking him off of Lloyd.

Dominic lifted his head to see the little Wingly girl, who picked up the axe and spread her legs in a fighting stance, her pink eyes narrowed at him. With a furious snarl, he leapt up and formed a telekinetic blast that knocked the girl back with a shriek. She collapsed to the ground, a huge gaping hole in her chest. A growing pool of dark blood formed beneath her. Her eyes, wide with pain, slowly dimmed and glazed over with death.

While Dominic stood, breathing heavily with his anger, Lloyd took the opportunity to draw his wrists over Dominic's head, snapping his wrists taut on both sides of his neck, the chain pressing into his throat. Dominic gasped and grabbed onto the chain, trying to pull it back from his face, but Lloyd would have none of it. He wrenched his wrists back as tightly as he could, determined to kill the Traitor once and for all. Lily could do nothing but watch in horror, but the Boss picked up the discarded axe and sprung into action.

He ran up behind Lloyd and swung the axe, hitting the back of his head hard with the side of the metal pick. Lloyd's body went slack immediately, and he slumped down against Dominic, who squirmed out from beneath him, rubbing his throat and coughing hoarsely. "Take him to the black room and chain him up," the Boss gruffly ordered to Dominic. "No food, no water, no hearing, sight, or smell. Five days." He then discarded the axe and walked away, leaving Lily and Dominic staring after him.

After Dominic's coughing fit mostly passed, he and Lily hefted Lloyd up to drag him out of the mines. A slave was ordered to dispose of the little girl's body. Dominic's lips were pursed, his face bruised, blood running from his nose and mouth as they stepped into the soundproof, dark room. They disconnected the chains on his shackles and pinned his arms outstretched to both sides. Blood stained the back of Lloyd's head, the crimson obscenely beautiful against the silver locks.

He slumped down as much as was allowed of him, still unconscious, yet breathing. Dominic then cast a spell on him, making him temporarily blind and deaf. A clamp over his nose prevented him from smelling anything. He then turned and strode abruptly out of the chamber, heading off down the hall.

Lily looked at Lloyd, wincing. This was the way many of the rebellious slaves went mad. Sensory deprivation for five days would be Hell for him, and she wasn't sure if his already-weakened mental state could handle it. She reached out and touched his cheek softly before turning and walking out of the room, shutting the heavy door behind her.


	9. Descent Into Madness

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Nine: Descent Into Madness

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

_Am I awake?_ Lloyd thought in confusion. He blinked slightly, or at least he thought the blinked - there was no change in the darkness. The back of his head throbbed, and there was a slight pain on his nose from the clamp preventing him from breathing from his nose. His mouth was dry from breathing out of it. The silence was deafening. He couldn't hear, see, or smell. His arms were outstretched painfully, and as he struggled to his feet somewhat, he pondered at his inability to hear the scuffing of his feet on the floor.

_Strange..._ Lloyd cleared his throat, yet stopped almost in mid-cough when he still failed to hear anything. He tried to speak, "Hello?" but although his lips formed the words and he felt his voice speaking, he could not hear what he said. _I... I can't hear? Oh... Wait... Sensory deprivation... _he realized. _So they've finally shut me away in here, have they? How long will this last?_ His thoughts were not much comfort, so to pass the time he simply closed his eyes and started remembering songs and stories, reliving memories to ward off the panic. But how long could he keep it up?

* * *

_I can't take this much longer..._ Lloyd thought to himself. It had been two days since he had been shut in here - wherever 'here' was. He thrashed and pulled against the shackles that pinned his wrists to the walls. His mouth was as dry as chalk, and his stomach felt pinched. It was hard to feel his arms because they had gone numb. In desperation, he started screaming, hoping that he could find comfort in his own voice - yet he could not hear himself. Maybe the noise would attract guards and they would come in here and hit him or beat him or something. Anything would feel wonderful right now, because truthfully he wasn't feeling much at all.

His body thrashed and bucked as he struggled to get out of the shackles, screaming out, silent to his own ears. A sudden sharp pain let him know he had dislocated his shoulder. Probably wrenched his arm right out of the socket. Yet he didn't stop there. He continued thrashing and screaming, the darkness and the silence closing in on his battered mind like eager predators advancing on their helpless, trapped prey. He didn't stop screaming until he finally passed out.

* * *

Upon hearing the abrupt ending to the screams, Lily turned and strode quickly down the hall. She had made up her mind. She would no longer stand by and watch while any more of these people were treated so horribly. She had heard Dart and his newlywed wife, Shana, lived in the town of Seles. She would take a sick day and go there to tell them what was going on. They ended off on equal ground with Lloyd when he supposedly died, didn't they? In any case, she just couldn't believe the saviors of Endiness would just leave him to suffer like this, or any of the Winglies for that matter. Her quick strides took her outside of Hellena after she told the Boss she was going home because she wasn't feeling well. She would have a long walk ahead of her, but that wouldn't stop her from finally doing something right. 


	10. Rescue Mission

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Ten: Rescue Mission

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

_I'm finally here,_ Lily thought to herself in relief as she stepped into the city. The people greeted her kindly, and pointed out where Dart and Shana lived. She thanked them and headed to their house, knocking on the wooden door softly. The door was answered by a pretty girl with large blue eyes and long brown hair - Shana, apparently. She smiled at Lily cheerfully and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Lily," she replied. "Could I please talk with you and Dart?"

"Oh?" Shana looked confused. "What for? Have we done something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Lily reassured her. "I just have something I need to tell you about someone you know."

Shana blinked, then smiled and showed her in, leading her to a seat on the couch in the living room. She called into another room, "Dart, we have a visitor!" and a few moments later a handsome man with seemingly gravity- defying locks of reddish brown hair strode into the room. He looked at Lily in confusion. "Do I know you?"

Lily smiled. "No, you don't, but I really do need to talk to the both of you. I have some information about someone you both know."

Dart and Shana sat down across from her, and Shana spoke, "Who is this person, and what happened to them?"

"It's Lloyd... He's alive."

"WHAT!" Dart jumped up while Shana gasped, her hands over her mouth. "That's impossible! We saw him die on the Moon that Never Sets! Melbu Frahma stabbed him right through the chest a little over six months ago! He can't be alive!"

"He is alive, Dart, and he is in very grave danger. He needs your help," Lily insisted, her eyes wide and sincere.

"What does he need our help for? The big bad Wingly can't take care of something by himself!" Dart spat venomously.

At the look of pain on Lily's face, Shana reached up and touched Dart's arm to signal him to sit and calm down. She then looked at Lily. "What's happened to Lloyd?"

"Hellena Prison has been changed into a prison for Winglies. Lloyd was found on the side of the road not far from the rubble of the Moon, weak, but alive. He had that big puncture wound in his chest. It missed the vital organs, somehow. He was taken to Hellena and made a slave. It's a slave market there. The Winglies work in the mines most of the time, and when they're not, they're in their cells waiting to be bought," Lily explained.

"So how is it no one else knows about this?" Dart asked.

"Well... It's kept very confidential. They only tell people who are known Wingly-haters and who want nothing but to see them dead or enslaved. People who are trustworthy not to blab to others."

"And how do you know about this?" Dart asked with an uplifted eyebrow.

Lily sighed and confessed, "They employed me to work there healing up the more serious injuries the Winglies get when they're whipped or have broken bones and such."

"And Lloyd is in danger, how?"

"He... hasn't taken to slavery well, as I suspect you might have guessed. But all of the constant beatings he has received have left him more and more... detached. He withdraws from his body and seems to take refuge in his mind while he is beaten. He does not feel the pain, and each time he stays hollow and distant a little longer than before. I've been fearing for his mental health." She sighed and closed her eyes, continuing. "He killed a guard about three days ago when the guard was raping one of the children in the mines. The Boss put him in the black room. That's where he shackles the slaves to the wall, and has Dominic cast a spell on him to blind him and make him deaf. A clamp is put over his nose so he can't smell. Sensory deprivation has sent many a Wingly slave into madness already. Lloyd's been in the black room for two days now, and he has three days to go, but from the thrashing and the screaming I've heard him doing, I don't think he'll last that long."

Shana's hands were over her mouth in horror while Dart stared with wide eyes. He didn't like Lloyd, but no one deserved that kind of torture. "Who's Dominic?" he asked eventually, "And how can humans keep a bunch of Winglies captive? They've got those wings, and their magic."

"Dominic is a Wingly himself. He despises his own kind and works with the Boss to catch and enslave the others. He designed these special types of shackles that prevent the Winglies from using their magic, and every time they try they get an electrical shock, more severe for the amount of power they attempt to use."

"A Wingly who despises his own kind..? Now I've heard everything," Dart muttered. "But you're right - this can't go on. I'll come with you to Hellena and we'll see what we can do about Lloyd. Shana, in the mean time you should go to Albert and alert him. See if he can contact Meru. We will need Wingly help when fighting against this guy, if he's strong enough to keep Lloyd in check. Besides, I think they're all going to want a piece of this Dominic fellow."

Shana nodded and stood up. "I'll pack the things we'll need. We should leave as soon as possible." She quickly walked into the kitchen to find their weapons and armor, and started packing two bags with healing potions and some magic spells.

While she busied herself, Dart continued talking to Lily. "You like Lloyd, don't you?" he asked her curiously.

Lily sighed. "Not in that way. He is a very prideful creature with a lot of self-confidence - at least he was when he first came to Hellena. I've seen too many Winglies dying or going mad, or being beaten and raped. I don't want it to happen to him anymore, or to any of the others. But if the Boss finds out, he'll have me killed."

"We'll protect you, Lily," Dart reassured her as Shana came out with his sword and armor. He slid on the bulky crimson armor and put the Divine Dragoon spirit into his pocket, sheathing his sword at his side. Sliding the pack on his back, he kissed Shana and they bid each other good luck before heading out the door.

As she and Dart separated from Shana after passing through the forest, she looked over towards the distant black castle and whispered, "Just hold on a little longer, Lloyd. We're coming."


	11. Inside Hellena Once Again

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Eleven: Inside Hellena Once Again

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

"So what's the plan?" Dart asked Lily as they neared the prison.

"Let me do most of the talking. The story will be that I had come up with an idea - Lloyd hasn't had many takers, as unbelievable as it seems. He's simply too much for the people to handle. Plus the price on him is unbelievably high because of his reputation. I will tell the Boss that I had come up with an idea on how to finally sell Lloyd off. Who hates him so much that they'd want to buy him and finish him off once and for all? Why, Dart of course. His best friend died by Lloyd's hands, and he and his friends have suffered so much because of him. You'll be coming to inspect Lloyd to see if he's the real one. Now, I've taken a lot of money from the vaults," she explained as she handed him over several heavy bags of gold. "This will be enough to cover his purchase. We'll bail him out and figure out how to get the others out later."

Dart's eyes grew wide as he hefted the gold in his hands. "How much is in here?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

Lily smirked at him and replied, "Fifty-five million gold."

"Holy shit!" Dart yelped out in surprise. "No wonder he hasn't had many takers! That'd take a lifetime to save up!"

"Hush now, and put the gold away. We're almost there."

Dart nodded and put the gold in his bag. The gates rolled down as they approached, and the guards watched while they stepped inside. They didn't get far before the Boss came out, walking over to them. "Lily, I thought you were on sick leave? And who is this?"

"My little surprise to you, Boss," Lily smiled and clasped her hands in front of her. "This is Dart. I told him about Lloyd and he wants to buy him. He said he'd like nothing better than to finish off the Wingly that killed his friend and kidnapped his wife so long ago." Dart got a hard look on his face and nodded in agreement - this was only partly acting. He still hated Lloyd for killing Lavitz and kidnapping Shana, as well as doing all the other horrible things he'd done.

The Boss circled Dart, nodding slowly. "I see. The price for him is very high, but I understand you acquired a lot of gold on your adventure six months ago."

"I did," Dart replied stonily. "Lily informed me it was fifty-five million gold?"

"Yes, indeed," the Boss replied. "Are you able to pay?"

"I am," Dart replied. If Lily had had any doubts about Dart's acting skills, these were quickly dispelled. "But I want to see him first. I want to know if it's really him. You'll excuse me if I'm still a little skeptical about the idea of Lloyd being alive when I saw him die."

"Of course, of course," the Boss said understandingly. He turned around and called out, "Dominic! Go get Lloyd from the black room and bring him here."

Dart looked over and saw a Wingly in the corner, coming to the same realization that Lloyd had - _His eyes are green like Melbu Frahma's!_ He shook off his shock and watched as the Wingly turned and headed into Hellena. He didn't have to wait too long. About ten minutes later Dominic re-emerged, shoving Lloyd ahead of him.

Lloyd, his wrists chained together again, fell to his knees and huddled there on the floor, his crimson eyes wide. The spells had been removed, as had the nose clamp, and his mind was reeling from the senses that came rushing back at him so quickly. Dart's eyes went wide at the sight of Lloyd. _Oh Soa... _He thought to himself in horror. _He has so many scars... He's bloody, filthy, and starved too. My Goddess, what did they do to him? _Any hate for Lloyd was dispelled suddenly as those wide scarlet eyes lifted slowly to see Dart. Those garnet orbs were hollow and blank - there was no life in them at all. They were completely devoid of hope and of any will to live.

"Is this the same Lloyd you know?" the Boss asked, his hands folded over his chest. "I apologize for his appearance. We usually clean up the slaves before they are presented to potential buyers, but he is fresh out of the torture chamber."

Remembering his acting, Dart shook his head and looked to the Boss. "Yes, that's him. I'll take him."

The Boss nodded, and grinned appreciatively as Dart handed over the bags of gold. He weighed the gold on a scale and was satisfied after opening each one and checking the quality of the gold pieces. "Good, very good. You can take him then."

"Would you take off the shackles?" Dart asked. At the startled look from the Boss, he explained, "I want to take him out fighting. I did it before, and I can do it again."

The Boss nodded and smirked as he motioned for Dominic to take off the shackles. Dominic did so - very reluctantly, and stepped back with the shackles in his hands. Lloyd didn't even appear to notice. "All right, you may take him and go now. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Dart."

Dart nodded and hefted Lloyd up by his arm. Although he felt like dirt doing so, he had to treat him roughly until they were out of sight of Hellena. He gave Lloyd a shove to start out the gates, and the tall Wingly stumbled once before plodding along slowly, his head down, wide blank eyes staring at the ground.

"I'm just going to make sure everything goes all right," Lily told the Boss before following Dart and Lloyd out. As the gates closed and they left Hellena, a profound sense of relief overcame both Dart and Lily. They had pulled it off without a hitch.

As soon as they were out of sight Lily walked around in front of Lloyd and lifted his head. "Lloyd, honey, look at me. Do you remember me?" Lloyd just stared at her blankly, and when her hand reached up to stroke back his platinum hair he cringed as if expecting her to strike him. "Lloyd, you're free. We rescued you. You won't be beaten anymore, do you understand?" Her expression grew very worried when Lloyd didn't seem to hear her. She looked to Dart. "He's in bad shape. I don't think he even realizes he's out of Hellena."

Dart walked around and looked Lloyd in the face. "Hey, you. Snap out of it, Lloyd." He got the same blank response. Dart shook his head slowly. "Do you think he'll recover?"

"I don't know," Lily replied quietly. "Let's just get him back to your house and get him washed up." She and Dart slipped their arms around Lloyd and helped him walk back to Seles slowly. In that entire time, Lloyd's blank and lifeless look never receded.


	12. Reunion

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Twelve: Reunion

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Dart looked around his living room and at all of the people assembled there. Sitting on the couch and in the chairs were Albert, Meru, Miranda, Shana, and Haschel. Kongol was standing slightly off to the side. Only Albert, Meru, and Shana knew the reason for the meeting here aside from Dart, and the others were waiting expectantly for the meeting to begin.

"Before we start, I'd like you all to meet somebody. Shana, you've already met her." He looked into the guest-room where Lloyd was laying, out of sight from the others, tucked underneath the blankets. Lily was sitting beside the bed. "Lily, would you come out here and join us, please?"

Lily looked up and nodded, stepping out of the room. She looked around at all of those assembled and smiled at them. Dart continued, "Everyone, meet Lily. She was the one to alert Shana and myself to the problem at hand that we will now discuss. She came to me last week to tell me that Hellena had been turned into a sort of slave camp for Winglies. A traitor to the Wingly race named Dominic helped the humans accomplish this. By the use of these shackles I suspect Dominic had made, the Winglies are unable to use their powers, and trying to gives them quite a nasty electric shock. They work in the mines six days a week for some fifteen hours a day, and on the seventh day buyers come in to do whatever they want with their very own Wingly that they purchase. The Winglies are undernourished, beaten, and tortured constantly. We have to figure out how to put an end to this."

Everyone nodded, their faces grim, but Miranda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Why did she come to you? Why not go to someone in authority like Albert?"

Dart nodded. "There's another thing. There was a Wingly in the prison that she came to alert me about. A Wingly we all know very well." Ignoring the confused expressions on their faces, he continued, "Lily and I worked together to get this particular Wingly out of the prison last week. He is right now laying in the guest bed in this room." He gestured to the guest bedroom and motioned the others to come in. Curiously, they all rose and followed. Every single one of them gasped at the sight of Lloyd's gaunt, bruised face.

Miranda furiously strode forward, drawing a knife from her side, but Dart stood in between them. "You will not touch him, Miranda!" Dart growled. "He's been through quite enough and over my dead body will I allow you to hurt him any more!" This, more than the sight of their former enemy shocked them. They all knew Dart's hatred for Lloyd because of the death he inflicted upon Lavitz.

"What has gotten into you!" Miranda asked in shock. "I thought you hated Lloyd! And for another thing, he's supposed to be dead, isn't he!"

"Apparently the blow by Melbu Frahma missed the vital organs. In any case, Lloyd has been in Hellena for these past six months, and as you'd probably guess, he didn't take being a slave well. He was beaten, whipped, tortured, and starved to the point where he is not in his right state of mind. When he's awake, his eyes are blank and lifeless. He isn't aware of where he is. I don't know if he'll ever recover, but I do know one thing. Lloyd has more than paid for his sins in these last six months in Hellena, and I will be damned before I let any of you hurt him."

Miranda backed down slowly, sheathing her knife back at her side. It wasn't until Meru gasped that everyone's attention went to her, and in turn to where she was staring. Lloyd had awakened from the commotion and his wide, hollow crimson eyes slowly gazed at everyone in the room. Albert stepped forward slowly to Lloyd's side, and his movement drew Lloyd's gaze. "Lloyd? Can you hear me? It's Albert," he said softly, kneeling down next to him. He got no response other than that constant, unblinking stare.

Albert's hazel eyes narrowed in thought and he reached out to lightly brush away some of the hair out of his face. His movement caused some emotion to stir in the Wingly's eyes - fear. A small whimper escaped him as he tried to pull back from Albert's hand. His hand froze in midair, just inches from Lloyd's face.

"Oh, Soa..." Meru whispered. It frightened her to see this once-proud and defiant man now whimpering like a whipped puppy as Albert's hand neared his face, and she wasn't the only one. Everyone else was shocked to see Lloyd in this state as well.

Albert, his hand having hesitated, slowly neared Lloyd's face again. In response the beaten and broken Wingly tried to draw back again until he was pressed flat against the headboard. His sitting up caused the blankets to fall from his bare torso, exposing the innumerable scars on his torso, including the diamond-shaped scar in the middle of his chest where Melbu Frahmaís tentacle impaled him. Albert's eyes widened in horror at all of the scars. But it wasn't just the scars that scared him - his ribs jutted out grotesquely, and his stomach and sides were pinched in, exposing his hipbones above the waistline of his tattered and ripped black pants.

"Oh Goddess, Lloyd..." he whispered softly, his hand finally coming forward to gently touch Lloyd's face. He whimpered and cried out as if he'd been struck, trying to get away, but Albert kept his hand there, hoping to reassure Lloyd that he meant him no harm. It took a couple minutes for Lloyd's pitiful keening to subside, his wide scarlet eyes staring at Albert as his hand gently continued to rest against the Wingly's cheek. He was no longer able to hide his emotions behind his usual cold mask, and this unusual display of emotions was endearing to the tender hearted King.

He suddenly thought, _How might we reach him and bring him back from this madness? _The answer popped up as fast as the question did. _Wink... of course!_ "Miranda?" Albert asked, looking over his shoulder to the blonde-haired woman behind him. "Would you please contact your sister and tell her about this? If anyone can bring Lloyd back, it's Wink."

"Wink's not coming here," Miranda growled. "Over my dead body will I allow her to come here to see him again."

"Miranda!" Albert said in shock. "Everyone knows how torn she was upon hearing of Lloyd's so-called death. It would bring joy to her heart to know that he is alive."

"Alive, but insane," Miranda sneered. "What if she can't pull him out of it? She'd get him back only to loose him again. I don't want that to happen to her." Everyone blinked. For once, Miranda had made a good point. That was a rarity for the usually brash Sacred Sister of Mille Sesau.

"I think she'd want to take the chance," Shana said quietly. All eyes turned to her. "Wink always believed in giving everyone another chance. She wouldn't want to just give up on him. We could warn her he might never come out of it, so she'd be prepared if it did happen, but at least she'd have gotten to see him again, right?"

Everyone nodded slowly, except for Miranda, who simply clenched her jaw and turned to pack up her things and head out to journey to Bale, where Wink was currently visiting. Albert looked back to Lloyd and sighed, gently brushing his hair out of his face in a comforting gesture. He hesitated in shock. The Wingly's hair was soft and silken to the touch, softer than the hair of any he had ever felt before. Not that he'd felt that many, but such softness just didn't come naturally. He continued to stroke through the silken strands, and could visibly see the calming effect it had on him. And as his eyes drifted closed, his quiet voice said the first full sentence he had uttered in over a week. "...Neesha used to do that..."

Everyone's head whipped back around to him in shock, but Lily suddenly remembered something. "Neesha... Was that the name of that little girl that was in your cell when you first arrived at Hellena?" A slow, hesitant nod was his reply, and she smiled. "She was a cute little one, wasn't she?" She walked over and sat down on the bed next to Lloyd, whose eyes opened slightly. Some of the hollowness was gone, but it lingered behind the spark of life that had flared again, ready to take over again at any moment.

Lloyd's eyes caught something on the counter - the Dragoon spirit of the Divine Dragon. Dart noticed his gaze and walked over to pick it up, bringing it back to show him. "Do you remember this?" Dart asked softly, and Lloyd slowly nodded. His eyes suddenly grew apprehensive, as if he was expecting Dart to strike him for what he said next.

"...They have the Red-Eye and the Black Spirits..."

Dart's eyes went wide. "What! Who has them!"

Lloyd flinched and huddled against Albert unconsciously. "The guards took them from me when they captured me," he whimpered, closing his eyes, fully expecting to be beaten for it. Yet when no blow fell, he cracked an eye open to peek out at Dart, who was staring at him with horror.

"What else did they take from you?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Everyone was staring at Lloyd with equal amounts of horror, but Dart was bordering on furious. What had he been doing with those Dragoon Spirits! He must have taken them from the corpses of his fallen comrade and father.

Lloyd's eyes darted around nervously, his breathing quickening. They were trapping him with their gazes, and he felt the need to struggle free and run. It was almost overwhelming. "Nothing else important..." he whispered, and Dart's hand grabbed his arm suddenly.

"Are you sure they took nothing else important! What else did you steal from Rose's and Zieg's bodies!"

"Dart!" Albert yelled out, smacking Dart's hand away as Lloyd began to hyperventilate, pressing himself against Albert's body to get farther away from Dart, his chest rising and falling in fast, jerky movements. Dart backed off and left the room to recover his composure while Albert encircled Lloyd in his arms, rocking him slowly to calm him. Lily leaned forward, gently rubbing Lloyd's scarred back as well. Lloyd's cheek rested against Albert's chest, his eyes wide and blank once again.

_Great... Count on Dart to ruin what little progress we made... _Meru growled mentally with an exasperated sigh. Most of the others left the room, leaving Lloyd with just Albert, Meru, and Lily by his side. "Hey Lloyd," Meru said as she sat down on the bed, "Don't listen to mean old Dart. He doesn't know what he's saying. We won't let him hurt you."

"I don't think he can hear you," Lily said with a sigh. "He's withdrawn into himself again."

"Aww, Lloyd!" Meru sighed and flopped down on her back, sprawling out gracelessly on the sheets. _Stupid dummy! He never let anything anyone said make him cringe like that before!_

Albert meanwhile continued to hold Lloyd in his arms. His old hatred for the Wingly had died out completely upon hearing what Lloyd had been through over the past several months. No one deserved the torture he had been through. He was broken, lost, and helpless. There didn't seem to be a scrap of his old pride anywhere. Albert had always had a soft heart; even though Lloyd had been responsible for his childhood friend's death not too long ago, he couldn't bring himself to hate Lloyd now. _We'll get you back, Lloyd _Albert silently promised. _We'll get you back, somehow. _


	13. Healing

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Thirteen: Healing

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Miranda cursed and muttered all the way to Bale. She didn't like this idea at all. Never having been one to easily forgive, she remembered all too vividly the time that Lloyd kidnapped Queen Theresa to have her get him the last Divine Moon Object. She knew that Lloyd had gone out of his way to save Wink not once, but twice. Miranda felt that Lloyd was much too dangerous to have around, and figured they should just put him out of his misery.

She walked into the Inn and up to the room where Wink was staying and caught her just as she was coming out of her room. Wink's eyes brightened upon seeing her sister, but her expression quickly turned serious at the royally pissed off expression that Miranda had on her face. No pun intended. "Miranda, what's wrong?" she asked in concern.

Miranda sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Wink, there's something I gotta tell you." Sitting Wink down on a bench, she sat down beside her. "Lloyd is alive."

Wink's blue eyes grew wide as she stared at her sister in shock. "But... You told me that Melbu Frahma's tentacle impaled Lloyd through the heart... How could he survive that?"

"It didn't hit his heart, Wink. He was found nearby the rubble of the Moon by some people who have made Hellena into a Wingly slave market and prison. For the past six months he's been kept as a slave, and all the torture and abuse made him insane." Miranda's voice was a flat monotone as she explained to her sister the situation while Wink's eyes grew wider with horror. "Dart and a lady named Lily got Lloyd out, but he just lays there, either sleeping or staring off into space. He doesn't even know he's out of Hellena. He's starved, scarred, and broken, but Dart thinks if anyone can bring him back around, it would be you. Though there is a chance he may never come back."

Tears trickled down Wink's face, but her lips pressed in a thin, determined line as she stood up. "Let's go then, Miranda. Take me to him. I'll do my best to make sure he gets better."

As she and Miranda gathered Wink's things and headed out of Bale, she muttered to herself, "That's just what I'm afraid of..."

* * *

"We're back," Miranda called without enthusiasm as she and Wink stepped into Dart and Shana's home. Dart's grim eyes turned to look at her and she frowned. "What's wrong, Dart?"

"When Lloyd was captured, he was found with the Red-Eye and the Dark dragoon spirits." Dart nodded as Miranda's eyes went wide and he said, "The guards took them from him."

"That stupid son of a BITCH!" Miranda shouted. "It's not like he hasn't done enough! When will he quit! Stealing precious items like those from the corpses of our friends!"

"Miranda, STOP IT!" Wink yelled at her sister. Glaring at both of their shocked expressions, she said, "The dragoon spirits give power and strength to those in possession of them, right?" The hesitant nods that answered her spurred her on to her next statement. "Lloyd was almost killed by that blow and he didn't have the Divine dragoon spirit anymore, did he? If he was going to get anywhere, wounded as he was, he was going to need a little help! Besides, they weren't doing anything just lying there!"

"She's got you there!" Meru called out cheerfully as she strolled from the room Lloyd was in. "Hey Wink, great to see you again. C'mon, he's right in here. I'll have to warn you though, he's not looking too hot." At Wink's nod, she turned and led her into the room.

Wink gasped as she saw Lloyd's unmistakable face cradled in King Albert's arms. The crimson eyes were closed, lips slightly pursed together, silver brows drawn down. One long, thin arm was revealed from beneath the covers, slender fingers grasping onto Albert's arm, bony shoulders and ribs showing on his bare torso. Tears sprang to her eyes as she saw her hero looking like little more than a starved, scarred skeleton.

Albert looked up as Wink sat down slowly on the bed, tears pooling in her eyes as she reached out to stroke Lloyd's cheek softly. She ran her hands over his face, brushing his platinum hair, tracing her fingers along his brows, down the sunken cheeks, over his lips, and down along his jaw. Albert's eyes softened. He knew love when he saw it and Wink was most definitely in love with Lloyd. "I think there may still be a chance of saving him, Wink," he commented quietly. When she looked up at him he continued, "He spoke to us earlier and he seemed fairly calm until Dart blew up at him."

"Dart yelled at him?" Wink asked in horror. "How could anyone yell at him in his condition?"

"He was upset, Wink, and I don't really blame him. We've got a big problem on our hands now. If those guards or anyone at Hellena discovers what the dragoon spirits really are, we could be in big trouble." Albert quieted as Lloyd stirred and opened his eyes slowly.

"Lloyd?" Wink asked quietly, reaching out to caress his face. The crimson eyes were hollow and lifeless as they slowly turned to stare at her. They showed no sign of recognition. "Lloyd, it's me, Wink. Do you remember me? You saved me before... First from bandits, and then from that Wingly... And then I saved you from Dart when you were fighting him. Do you remember?"

He was quiet for so long that Wink thought she wouldn't get an answer, but then his dry, chapped lips moved and he whispered, "I remember..." Wink broke out into a smile as she gently wrapped her arms around Lloyd and cried into his chest. Poor Lloyd could only stare at her, at a loss as for what to do. He had had very little practice in the art of soothing a sobbing woman, and he was still out of it, for the most part. His jaded crimson eyes turned to look at Albert, his expression clearly saying, _What the heck do I do now?_

Albert could only laugh softly and motion for Lloyd to put his arms around Wink. Hesitantly, Lloyd did as he was told, wrapping his long thin arms around Wink's back, looking as if he expected to be burned by her or something of the sort. Wink felt Lloyd's arms wrap around her and started sobbing even harder, because she knew in her heart that Lloyd would be okay. She listened to the rapid pounding of his heart against his ribs and thanked Soa for sparing him.

Albert knew Wink's tears were for joy, but Lloyd didn't, and he had to try so hard not to laugh as Lloyd's wide eyes stared at Albert as if to say, _Albert, it's not working!_ Albert simply smiled and shook his head, standing up to leave the two of them in peace. He had to drag Meru out of the room by her ponytail.

Eventually Wink stopped crying and looked up at Lloyd, smiling sheepishly at his apprehensive expression. He looked like he was preparing to shield himself from another onslaught of tears. "I'm sorry, Lloyd, I'm just really happy you're all right. I didn't mean to shed tears all over you."

"It's okay..." Lloyd replied quietly. He never liked to see women cry. Especially not over him. Wink sighed softly and rested her cheek on Lloyd's shoulder. She knew he'd be all right soon. And she'd be there for him the entire way.


	14. Calm Before the Storm

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Fourteen: Calm Before the Storm

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Four months passed, and during that time Lloyd made an incredible recovery. He no longer looked to be flesh and bone. He had filled out nicely and was well-built from helping to rebuild the burned buildings of Seles. The small village was recovering nicely from last year's fire.

Lloyd's scars were a constant, silent proof of the torture he'd been through, and they'd be with him for the rest of his life, but despite that he was doing very well. He had regained his pride, and he no longer meekly did what he was told. But although those crimson eyes had regained that spark of life, lingering always behind that spark was a dull, hollowed look that would take years to diminish. He wouldn't soon forget his torture at the hands of the Hellena guards.

He and Albert had become good friends, despite past events, and they both came to find, much to Albert's surprise, that Lloyd was almost as ecstatic about reading as he was. Well - actually that wasn't true. No one could get lost for hours in a library like Albert could. But they shared much in common, and soon were teaching each other different weaponry skills. Albert taught Lloyd how to fight with a spear, and Lloyd taught Albert the art of fighting with a sword.

When he wasn't helping to rebuild Seles and practicing with Albert, Lloyd spent much of his time with Wink. They would take walks in the woods together, and Lloyd would fight off any animal that tried to attack. Wink adored Lloyd, and had hardly left his side during his recovery. In return Lloyd was grateful to Wink and felt a strong bond with her. He enjoyed spending time with her. As you can imagine, Miranda was less than pleased about this.

The group wasn't sure about what to do to recover the Dragoon Spirits from Hellena. It was still much too vast a place and too strongly protected, and Albert was not willing to put so many of his men in danger going to battle against Hellena. But Lloyd would often be caught staring into the distance in the direction of Hellena Prison, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. There was not a day that went by when Lloyd didn't think about his fellow Winglies, trapped in Hellena, starved, beaten, and dying. He would reach up and clasp the spirit of the Divine Dragoon that hung from a silver chain around his neck. Dart had given the spirit back to him, amidst much argument from Miranda. But because it was Lloyd's to begin with, he felt he should have it back. And Lloyd was determined to put it to good use to save his people. The day would soon come where he would extract his revenge. And when he returned to Hellena, Dominic's death would be on his hands alone.


	15. I Won't Let Them Take You Again

The Winglies of Hellena

Chapter Fifteen: I Won't Let Them Take You Again

Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .

Albert looked up, startled, as the door swung open and Lloyd walked through, his expression filled with grim determination. Albert knew what the expression meant. Lloyd wasn't content to just sit around anymore. He was going to return to Hellena and try to free his people. In truth, Albert had been waiting for this to happen. He had noticed how restless Lloyd had been growing since his recovery. Setting aside his book, he rose up and walked up behind Lloyd as he began to fill a pouch with various potions and spells. "What do you plan to do, Lloyd?"

"I'm going to take out Dominic. That alone should give us a good start to freeing my people. Dominic is by far the largest threat we have to worry about. And after Dominic is dead, I'll go for the boss. With them out of the way, the guards will either flee or attack, but chances are they'll most likely flee. Without a leader we can pluck them off at our leisure."

Albert nodded thoughtfully, then questioned, "But what about the shackles binding the Winglies' powers? How will you get them off if Dominic doesn't?"

"If he can do it, so can I," Lloyd growled as he finished filling his pouch and tied it around his middle. "We'll figure out a way."

"But what if you cannot, Lloyd? What if Dominic is the only one who knows how to remove the shackles? Try to squeeze the information out of him before you kill him, won't you?" Albert could easily see how Lloyd's pride and grim determination would leave much room for error. Lloyd might not be thinking clearly, being so absorbed in extracting his revenge and freeing his people.

"I'll see what I can do." Lloyd looked at Albert and sighed. "I know what I'm doing, Albert. Trust me. This is too important for me to mess it up. Would you and Dart come with me?"

"HEY!" Meru appeared in the room, hands on her slender hips. "What about me! You're not the only Wingly around here, Lloyd! I want to help too!"

Lloyd looked at Meru and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, fine." He looked at Albert, waiting for his answer.

"I'm surprised you feel as though you have to ask. I'd like nothing better than to fight alongside you, Lloyd." Albert smirked, shaking his head in amusement.

Lloyd smiled. "Thanks Albert, I appreciate it." He looked to Meru, "Could you please find Dart and ask him if he'll come along?"

Meru grinned and saluted Lloyd with a, "Yes sir!" before turning to run out of the room. Lloyd rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling. "Spunky little thing, isn't she?"

* * *

Dart, Lloyd, Albert, and Meru all stood at the boarder of Seles, making sure they were prepared to go. Althought Dart and Meru seemed confident, Albert alone seemed unsure. "Lloyd... How can you be so sure you can defeat Dominic?"

Lloyd turned to look at Albert, frowning. "He's powerful, but not as powerful as I. If I hadn't had the shackles binding my powers and had I not been so horribly wounded in the first place, I would have killed him straight off. The boss, whatever his name may be, is a human with no special powers to speak of. Not that I've seen, anyway. We've been up against worse. They don't even begin to compare to Melbu Frahma."

Albert nodded, his fears fading. "You're right, and I agree. We have faced much worse than them."

"Lloyd! Wait!"

Lloyd turned to see Wink running up towards them and blinked. "What is it?"

Wink stared at him in shock and put her hands on her slender hips. "I don't believe you! You were actually going to leave without telling me! Without saying goodbye! I'm surprised at you!" Dart, Meru, and Albert couldn't help but snicker, seeing Lloyd being chastized by the outraged woman, his head lowered and shoulders hunched. The poor Wingly looked so pitiful.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't want you to worry."

"'Didn't want me to worry'! Lloyd, how can you be so thick headed! If you left without saying goodbye, I'd be MORE worried than if you had told me! I thought I lost you once, but by Soa you are NOT leaving to go back to that hellhole again without saying goodbye!" Wink threw up her hands in frustration. "Honestly, sometimes I think you took one too many beatings over the head in that place and it's screwed up what little brains you have!"

Lloyd scuffed his boot, staring down at the dirt, feeling much like a child scolded by his mother. When it seemed as though she was done, he lifted his head and opened his mouthand was startled out of his mind when Wink threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him soundly, tears running down her cheeks. He stood frozen for a second, before slowly lifting his arms to wrap them around her, closing his eyes and returning the kiss. Both had forgotten completely about the other three.

Dart and Albert looked at each other and smirked. Each of them grabbed one of Meru's arms and proceeded to drag her off, kicking and squirming as she tried to go back to watch the action. Lloyd slowly parted the kiss with Wink and opened his eyes, the crimson orbs gazing down into her bright blue eyes, finding himself quite speechless, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Wink's heart was also pounding, but tears were in her eyes as she looked up at him. "Lloyd... When Dart and the others told me you had died fighting Melbu Frahma... my heart broke. I loved you even then, despite what you'd done... Please... Promise me you'll come back to me. Don't leave me alone again..."

"...I promise." Lloyd drew Wink into his embrace and nestled his face into her soft blonde hair, breathing in the scent of her. "I promise I'll come back to you. And when I do come back... When I've freed my people... I... would like to spend the rest of my life with you... Wink, I love you..."

Wink nestled her face into Lloyd's shoulder, tears pouring from her eyes. She hugged him tightly, her arms wrapped around his muscular torso. "I love you too, Lloyd..."

* * *

"There it is..." Albert murmured. They had arrived at Hellena prison as dusk began to fall. The place seemed just a sinister as it did the last time they had come.

"Well now that we're here, how the heck are we gonna get in?" Meru chirped, leaning on her hammer. Dart glanced back and drew the four of them to hide behind the rocks as a supply wagon rolled past.

"...Same as we have before. Come on, let's go!" The four fighters rushed forward and climbed onto the back of the wagon as it made its way into Hellena.

Lloyd peered out of the wagon and watched as they approached Hellena... He suddenly felt as if he had swallowed cold lead. His heart was held in an icy grip, and he began trembling and breathing heavily, a cold sweat breaking out over his body. _Fear._ That's all he could think about, all he could feel. His crimson eyes darted around frantically, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to run. Forget the mission, forget Dominic, forget everything, he'd run back to Wink and the others where he was safe, far away from here.

Albert glanced over and froze as he saw Lloyd's panicked condition. Giving Meru and Dart a nudge to alert them, he went over to Lloyd and whispered in his ear, "Lloyd, snap out of it... Pull yourself together. You don't have the shackles suppressing your power anymore. They have no control over you. They can't hurt you again. Remember what you're here for. Your people are suffering and dying in there, just as you were. Let's get them out." He put his arms around his friend and just held him as he trembled, whispering, "I won't let them take you again. I promise, my friend."

"If they capture me again..." Lloyd whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible.

"They won't," Albert whispered firmly. "Now pull yourself together. We're nearly there." Dart and Meru cast worried looks at each other as Albert quietly tried to soothe Lloyd's fear. They were not counting on this, but for all he'd been through, they should have expected it. What if Lloyd's fear took over? They weren't even inside Hellena yet and already Lloyd looked ready to bolt away and run like a terrified rabbit.

They could only cross their fingers and hope.

A/N - Maybe now that I've finally edited the story to make it easier for people to read, they'll review, and I'll get the motivation to finish this. PLEASE, _PLEASE REVIEW_ if you do not want this fic to die!


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